Hollow wall box



June 15, 1954 R. M. BERGSTEIN HOLLOW WALL BOX Filed Feb. 4, 1952 INVENTOR. 1555 567F629 7-5/1;

ATTORNEYS- Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to the provision of fold.- ing or collapsible paperboard cartons and containers in which Wall portions are made to have the appearance of extraordinary thickness. by a hollow construction. Such boxes are widely used for merchandising and display purposes. In an exemplary use the carton is formed in the shape of a tray having a bottom and upstanding side and end walls. Articles, usually having a decorative or display value, are packed in the tray whereupon the entire assembly is wrapped in one of the commercial transparent, non-fibrous films. The side and end walls of the tray are made to have the extraordinary appearance of thickness aforesaid, and they form an attractive frame about the contents, greatly increasing the appearance value of the package.

Hitherto in the formation of hollow Wall boxes it has been a usual practice to form the side walls with extensions scored to provide a top portion, an inner side wall portion and an attachment flange. The blanks are folded and glued with the infolding of the side wall extensions and the adhesive attachment of the flange tov the base panel or bottom of the structure. When side walls of this construction are turned upwardly, they assume a hollow or tubular configuration giving the desired thickness; but' where the boxes themselves are of substantial size, the folding of the side. wall elements becomes very difficult. In extreme instances it can only be accomplished by the insertion of a sword-like element into the side walls. The end wallsv are formed with similar extensions but are not usually folded over and attached as aforesaid; Instead, after the erection of the side wall elements and the inturning of end flaps connected thereto, the end wall elements are manually folded over and tucked inside the structure in order to maintain its erected condition. This opera.- tion is also inconvenient and time-consuming.

Another disadvantage of such boxes is that in large sizes the side and end walls tend to bow and distort due to the resilience of the board of which they are made.

Other hollow wall boxes have been produced from blanks having side and end wall extensionsbut not originally folded and glued. In setting up such boxes it is usual to provide an inner collar and to fold the side and end walls one'by one over the collar tucking fiat portions inwardly beneath it along the bottom panel of the tray. This, again, is diflicult, inconvenient and time-consuming.

In. both styles of' hollow wall boxes exterior corner portions are usually not. of. neat, tight and attractive appearance; and the top portions of the hollow walls are not continuousv one with another, presenting corner joints which are deficient in appearance.

A principal object of my invention is the provision of a structure which avoids the disadvantages set forth above.

In particular, it is my object to provide a hollow wall box which, irrespective of size: and dimension, is easily and quickly erected Without the use of artificial aids.

It is an object of my invention to provide a hollow wall box which will have a neat and. attractive external appearance.

It is an object of my invention to provide a hollow wall box which is generally stronger than those current in the art and which is not subject to wall distortion by reason of the resilience of the board of which it is made.

It is an object of my invention to provide a hollow wall box in which the inner side and end wall elements present a neat and attractive appearance in the erected structure.

It is an object of my invention to provide a hollow Wall box in which the operations required for erection are greatly simplified.

It is an object of my invention to provide a box in which the upper portions of the hollow walls provide a continuous and unbroken frame.

These and otherobjects of my invention, which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled inthe art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that structure and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe certain exemplary embodiments. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for an exemplary carton of my: invention;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the. blank showing an. initial. stage of folding. and gluing.

Figure 3 is-a plan view of the completely folded and glued carton in knocked down condition and in the form in which it may be shipped tothe user.v

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing. the carton in an initial stage of erection.

Figure 5 is. a perspective view showing the next step in erecting the carton.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the section line 6-6. of'Figure 5..

Figure '7 is a perspectivev view showing the. carton in the final stage of' erection.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section taken along the section line 8--8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view taken along the section line 9-9 of Figure '7.

Figure is a longitudinal sectional view showing some modifications of structure.

In the several views solid lines represent lines of out while lines of articulation are shown either as dot-dash lines indicating rule scoring, or dashed lines indicating cut scoring as by a nicked rule or in other ways. It will be understood that the type of scoring employed is in the discretion of the box maker and forms no limitation upon this invention. Especially where the paperboard of which the carton is made is of heavy caliper, and where the parts to be folded are not required to sustain any great stress, the box maker may prefer to facilitate the folding by using a cut type of score. Hereinafter I shall refer to score lines or lines of articulation without limitation to their type. It will be understood that the paperboard of which my cartons are made may be of any weight or thickness appropriate to the size of the carton and the duty it is to perform; that the paperboard may be printed or decorated as desired; that the blanks may be formed through the use of conventional cutting and scoring presses; and that the folding and gluing accomplished by the carton manufacturer may be done on conventional carton folding and gluing equipment. It is an advantage of the structures of my invention that the folding and gluing involves a tubing operation only and does not require the use of spot gluing or timed glue printing mechanism. A further advantage of my cartons is that they may be cut from larger areas of board with little scrap.

Referring to Figure l, I have shown a carton blank having a main panel I flanked by articulated side wall elements 2 and 3, to one of which is articulated a top panel 4. Instead of the conventional narrow glue flap on the other of the side wall elements, I provide in articulation a full-sized panel 5 to be folded beneath and adhesively joined to the top panel 4.

The elements thus far described make up the body walls of the carton. End closure elements of conventional form are provided. In the particular blank illustrated, these take the form of the usual closure flaps of a tuck-end carton. Thus end wall elements It and l l are articulated respectively to the ends of the main panel I and bear tuck flaps l2 and I3, while smaller flaps i4, i5, i8 and H are articulated to the ends of the side walls 2 and 3. A locking feature, also known in the art, may be provided by forming shoulders, as at l8, on the flaps l4-ll inclusive and by providing cuts I9 adjacent the line of articulation of the tuck flaps and the end flaps. My invention is not limited to any particular end closure construction. Where the box user has carton sealing equipment, he may prefer to have the end closures of the well-known seal-end variety. I may even employ, if desired, selferecting bottom and top closures, as also understood in the art.

The top panel 4 is cut and scored to provide a rim portion designated and a pair of inwardly turnable inner side wall elements 2a and 3a. These will have a width equivalent to the effective width of the side walls 2 and 3. In a similar fashion the panel 5 is cut and scored to provide a rim portion 2| and a pair of articulated inner end wall elements Illa and i la which will have a width equivalent to the effective width of the end walls ill and II. The inner endwall 4 elements may be provided with articulated flanges 22 and 23.

While I have shown my invention embodied in a relatively small carton, size forms no limitation upon it. In the specific embodiment the inner side wall elements 2a and 3a occupy the entire space within the frame or rim element 20 but it will be understood that in larger boxes having the same side wall depth, less than the full space within the rim may be required for the inner side wall elements. Where this is the case, they may be formed with end flanges similar to the flanges Z2 and 23 on the inner end wall elements. In folding and gluing the carton, the panel 5 and the adjacent side wall 3 will be folded upon the line of articulation between the side wall and the main panel I, as shown in Figure 2. Before or after this folding, lines of adhesive 24 and 25 may be applied to the longer edges of the rim portion 2! of the panel 5 and this may be done by continuously acting glue wheels, as will be evident. Next, the panel 4 is folded over so as to overlie the panel 5, as shown in Figure 3. When the adhesive has set, the collapsed carton may be shipped to the user and can be erected and closed like any other tubular knocked down carton. The formation of the inner side wall sections 2a and 3a from the panel 4 and the inner end wall sections Illa and Ma from the panel 5 enables me to make the inner side wall sections of the full length of the space inside the frame or rim 20 and the inner end wall sections of the full width of the space inside the rim or frame 2|. When these elements are depressed to positions at right angles to the main panel in the erected structure, they come together neatly and accurately at their ends. Thus there is no mitering at the corners, and the inside structure of the erected carton has a finished appearance.

The operations of erecting the carton are simple. It is squared up, as shown in Figure 4, and the ends closed as in Figure 5 or otherwise depending upon the nature of the closure elements. Next, downward pressure is exerted on the inner side wall elements 2a and 3a. This results in automatic downward folding of the inner end wall elements Illa and Ha; and when the inner side and end wall elements are so depressed as to lie at right angles to the main panel i, the box will appear as in Figure '7. The flanges 22 and 23 on the inner end wall elements maintain the position of these elements as shown, while the ends of the inner side wall elements engage behind the ends of the flanges so that the inner side wall elements cannot unfold.

The box is exceptionally strong since it not only has the strength inherent in a tubular carton as such, but in addition the rim portion forming the tops of the side and end walls is of double thickness, as will be evident from Figures 6 and 8-10 inclusive. After the erection and closure of the bottom of the carton has been accomplished, the erection of the inner side and end wall elements becomes very rapid and simple. It may be accomplished with one hand, and during the election of these members there is no tendency for any part of the box to unfold or become distorted. The box always maintains a true rectangular configuration.

Modifications may be made in my structure, which modifications are not regarded as a limitation upon the invention. Flange elements on the free ends of the inner side and end wall members may be omitted entirely if desired and the contents of the carton relied upon to maintain these members in folded condition. Again, flange elements may be provided on the free ends of the inner side wall members as well as on the inner end wall elements, and either set of these flanges may be notched out at its ends to accommodate "the ends of the other set. The provision of flanges on inner Side wall members is of advantage particularly in boxes of very large transverse dimensions because the flanges keep the inner wall members from bowing. The flanges may be disposed as shown in Figures 7 and 8, or they may be reversely bent so as to extend from the inner side wall members toward the outer side wall members. In the latter event, and providing the flanges are of the correct width, they will hold the inner wall members against outward deflection, as may be required where the box or tray is to contain elements of substantial weight in closely packed condition.

Ordinarily, locking elements are not required to maintain the erected condition of the inner wall members, but they may be provided, if desired. At the left-hand end of Figure 10, I have shown a structure in which a tongue 26 on the inner end wall member He, which tongue is cut from the flange 23, projects downwardly through a slat or slot in the bottom panel I. At the right-hand end of Figure 10 I have shown a construction in which a small tongue 27, formed by a U-shaped out in the main panel I, is caused to engage over the flange 22 of the end wall element Illa. Such locking members or others may be applied to any or all of the inner wall elements.

Still other modification-s may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described my invention in certain exemplary embodiments, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a collapsible hollow wall box formed from a one-piece paperboard blank, a tubular body comprising a top wall, a side wall, a bottom and a side wall in articulation, said top wall comprising a pair of superposed wall panels in adhesive union with each other, one of said wall panels being cut and scored to provide a rim portion and a pair of inner side wall elements articulated to opposed inner edges of said rim portion, the other of said Wall panels being cut and scored to provide a similarly dimensioned rim portion and pair of inner end wall elements articulated to opposed inner edges of said last named rim portion, said pairs of inner wall elements lying at right angles to each other in lapped relation and having widths equivalent to the depth of the erected tubular body, whereby inwardly directed pressure on the overlying pair of inner wall elements will cause both pairs of said inner wall elements to be displaced from the plane of said superposed wall panels and brought to erected condition in which said inner wall elements extend at right angles to the opposite body wall of said box and make contact therewith, means carried by one pair of said inner wall elements for maintaining both pairs of said elements in the erected condition, said means comprising flanges articulated to the inner edges of one of the said pairs of inner wall elements,

the said flanges extending along said opposite body wall with their end edges in contact with edge portions of the other pair of inner wall elements, and closure flaps articulated to the end edges of said body walls forming end walls for said box.

2. In a collapsible hollow wall box, a pair of juxtaposed wall panels defining one wall of said box, and a third wall panel spaced from said juxtaposed wall panels and defining the opposite wall of said box, one of said first named pair of panels being cut and scored to provide a rim portion and a first pair of inner wall elements articulated to opposite sides of said rim along parallel lines of articulation, the other of said first named pair of panels being cut and scored to provide a mating rim portion and a second pair of inner wall elements articulated to said last named rim portion along lines of articulation extending at right angles to said first named lines of articulation, said pairs of inner wall elements lying in overlapped relation and each having a depth equal to the distance between said juxtaposed pair of wall panels and said third wall panel, whereby upon erection of said box, inward pressure on the overlying pair of said inner wall elements will cause the elements of both pairs to fold inwardly and the inner ends of said elements to contact said third wall panel.

3. In a collapsible hollow wall box, a pair of juxtaposed wall panels defining one wall of said box, and a third wall panel spaced from said juxtaposed wall panels and defining the opposite wall of said box, one of said first named pair of panels being out and scored to provide a rim portion and a first pair of inner wall elements articulated to opposite sides of said rim along parallel lines of articulation, the other of said first named pair of panels being cut and. scored to provide a mating rim portion and a second pair of inner wall elements articulated to said last named rim portion along lines of articulation extending at right angles to said first named lines of articulation, said pairs of inner wall elements lying in overlapped relation and each being of a depth equal to the distance between said juxtaposed pair of wall panels and said third wall panel, whereby upon erection of said box, inward pressure on the overlying pair of said inner wall elements will cause the elements of both pair to fold inwardly and the inner ends of said elements to contact said third wall panel, and means articulated to the inner ends of said first named pair of inner wall elements for maintaining both pairs of said elements in the erected condition, said means comprising flanges adapted, in the erected structure, to extend along the said third wall panel with their end edges in contact with edge portions of the said second pair of inner Wall elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,443,279 Schindler Jan. 23, 1923 1,787,498 Tinsley Jan. 6, 1931 1,892,092 Barad Dec. 27, 1932 2,132,957 Mahone Oct. 11, 1938 

